A Dash of Deception
by Dans Mon Coeur
Summary: Winry thinks long and hard of the past. She thinks of his lies, but more importantly, her own. Please R & R. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: **Hey readers, this was something that I kinda just thought of last night. It had to come out or it was going to explode, haha. It's sadly a oneshot and is kind of sad but I was just thinking 'what if?' And I know I should have been working on my only other story but whatever, I guess this is sort of an apology, to those who are interested anyway. Oh and props to my friend who helped me with the title, you know who you are ;) I'll shut up now. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA.

**A Dash of Deception**

**~XxX~**

One foot in front of the other, she always told herself. After all that's all he would've wanted from her. To keep moving forward, no matter what happens. She focused on this as she was walking to her favorite cafe near her apartment in Central.

She moved this way for the past three years. It had already been three years. Pushing away the thought she walked more furiously until she came upon the presence of the small setting in front of her. Taking a breath she pushed open the translucent door and made her way to the usual booth she sat in, alone on most days.

Glancing around she sat down and reached for the petite menu leaning against the wall the table was attached to. Looking over the contents of the menu she already knew and realized something. She loved it here. Yet she hated it. But why?

Because this place reminded her of him. Just like everything else, she might add.

She noticed one of the newer waitresses had come out of the double doors, holding a tray with some cinnamon coffee placed on top. She inhaled the warm and familiar scent. It reminded her of her apple pie. She always added a dash of cinnamon to the top of the dessert as well as inside of the treat. The comforting smell wafted all around the room as she reminisced of the bittersweet past. 6 years ago exactly.

**~XxX~**

_'"I've been stood up," she whispered painfully and looked down in her lap. He had asked her to meet her in some small cafe near his work in Central. They were to meet for lunch at 12:30. It was 1:15. She sighed hopelessly and cupped her face with her hands. She couldn't believe she actually considered this her first real date with him. Sure it was just lunch but he had never asked her out to anything prior. Never. So this was different._

_The blonde haired woman sighed again, this time more audibly. 'Well it is to be expected I suppose, I mean that man has never been on time to anything.' She thought, full of misery and pent up anger._

_Then gleaming hope made its way into her heart as she saw the unmistakeable golden eyes peering into hers from the doorway. _

_She saw deep guilt had taken over his features and immediately shame followed suit. He calmly and slowly came over to sit in the opposite side of the booth. "Listen Winry, I'm so sor-" he stopped abruptly when her hands found his own and they intertwined. She gave him a look of pure forgiveness, a look she gave him way too often. Fighting back tears that threatened to fall, she sniffed and said, "I know you're sorry, and I forgive you. Something came up, I can tell... I'm just glad you came."_

_He smiled at her gratefully and he gently squeezed her hands in confirmation that he understood. Looking nervous as if he just remembered something important, he took in a short breath to speak. _

_"Um there's been something I've wanted to ask yo-" he began._

_He was interrupted yet again as some cinnamon coffee was placed in between them by a redheaded waitress. The woman asked if they need anything else and when they declined, she smiled and left them to return to their business._

_The intoxicating scent drifted between them and she looked at him deeply, as if urging him to continue with her eyes._

_He resumed. "Um... I know that you've been upset at me for a while. I already understand that remaining in the military under the Colonel is stressful on our... relationship." He said cautiously, looking regretful. She continued to give him the same look._

_"But I think I know what can fix this." He said, the familiar determined gleam in his eye. "Until I get, well, drafted," he muttered painfully, "we can be closer than ever with what I'm proposing."_

_Her eyes narrowed in curiosity and she squeezed his hands. "Edward, you don't have to do this."_

_"No! I do!" he said defiantly. Eyes widening she waited for him to continue. "I'm offering you to live with me... here in Central." A tinge of pink rose to his cheeks as he waited for her response._

_That was not what she had expected from the alchemist. _

_A single tear made a path down Winry's cheek. The man immediately regretted his question. He couldn't believe that after all these years of not harming Winry's feelings, it had been wasted by his own stupid and brash decisions. He crinkled his eyebrows in shame and opened his mouth to apologize. But surprisingly Winry had leaned across the small table and wrapped her arms around him. She squeezed him tightly and whispered in his ear, "Nothing would make me more joyful, Edward." 'Tears of Joy...' He thought._

_He still half-expected to see her face wearing a frown when she pulled away only to thankfully see an enchanting smile. A smile just for him._

_"Really? It's alright? It's a good idea? I've been thinking about this for a few months now I just don't have the right judgment on if it's a good decision or not. So then I decided the best way to know would be to ask you directly." He bashfully ran his flesh arm through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. _

_Winry smiled through her tears of joy, "I've got to say it's the most thoughtful thing I never expected from you." He grimaced at her choice of words and opened his mouth to question if she was insulting him. _

_She laughed loudly at his expression and said, "Don't take it the wrong way, silly! Trust me I am so happy right now and I couldn't agree more with your thoughtful decision." _

_How could he argue with her beautiful face beaming back at him. At him. He smiled to himself. 'Surely she likes me right? As a friend I mean... I know I've loved her since I turned 17, well at least knowingly loved her. But why would she ever like me any more than that?' He began to argue with himself. 'I don't deserve a woman like her, not in a million years. She could certainly have someone better. I mean I'm only offering this as a form of protection. Yeah that's it. Resembool has been targeted lately, I don't want her in danger. No, I can handle her in danger.' He thought defiantly._

_Moving on from his thoughts, he said "Winry, listen to me. I need you to understand something important."_

_Looking concerned she answered, "Yeah, okay you got it."_

_"I... I need you to understand my reasoning for this, I mean sure we are really good friends and all but sometimes... Well most of the tine I'm not around too often."_

_"Ed I'm not sure where you're going with this..." She said, confused._

_"Just listen. I mean I want you to move in so you are under full protection. I need to be absolutely sure you are safe, you got that?" He asked her, looking straight in the eyes of hers he loved._

_Then those eyes narrowed and showed a great confusion from within, "So what you're saying is... You want me to move in with you so you can keep a better eye on me? For no other reason?" Her eyes pleaded for something more, craving for proof that he loved her. Love they were being starved of._

_"Of course not." He lied, much too easily. Lying was a always a bad thing, he knew that. His mother had scolded him countless times for lying so you would think he had learned his lesson. He clearly hadn't. Her pale palm struck his cheek. Hard. The sting felt like venom seeping into his bloodstream and the feeling worsened as he watched her storm out of the cafe, threatening to never return. He threw down the tab and followed her in haste._

_"Winry wait! Please hear me out, I'm sorry!" He bellowed after her running figure. She blocked him out. She ran in her painful heels continuously. She was running from him. She was running from the pain, from the pain of his rejection. Then her pace slowed as she reached the park. 'No... This isn't the answer. I can't run away. Not from the only man I've ever loved.' With bravery in her eyes and courage in her voice she stopped altogether and turned around._

_She saw him panting and putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He looked up, somewhat confused she had stopped running. She wanted to tell him something. 'God she's hot when she's mad at me,' he thought bitterly. _

_"Edward Elric." Her voice clear as day rang through his ears as he continued to look straight at her. "You must think I am a fool for believing your lies. You've lied to me all these years to keep me safe. You've kept me shut out from your life as best you can to keep me safe." She was crying now, but was still determined. "But I'll be damned to hell if you think I'm going to let you shut me out right under your own roof. I am no fool Edward, but despite that... I know I must be." She took a breath to even out her voice and looked at him with all the truth she had in her soul. "Because I love you. I am a fool because I've let you lie to me all these years because I love you so much. So don't you dare lie to me when you say what you said back there was the truth. I've got to be truthful to you for our sake, for the sake that one day-"_

_"You're right. I am a liar." His breathing was even again and he ran straight up to her and hugged her so tightly. "Winry, I hate doing things to you that hurt... The only way I feel to repent is to tell you the truth." She pushed him away abruptly._

_"Don't try and sweet-talk me Edward. I know what you're up to, don't you dare lie to me." _

_"This is not a lie Winry." Forgetting about everything he courageously reached forward to touch her face. She remained there to see what he was going say, waiting for him to mess up so she could hit him again. God that felt good. But he took his other hand and cupped her face, bringing their bodies together. "This is not a lie..." he repeated into her face. _

_Her eyes widened and he said what could only be imaginary. "I love you." he whispered into her mouth as he passionately kissed her directly on her lips. The kiss was full of love. It was also full of apology. But most importantly to her, it was full of truth. Realizing that she kissed him back, hard. Her arms which remained at her sides had found their way to his neck and securely locked themselves there. She pulled her mouth back, so that their lips remained millimeters apart. "Say it again." She whispered. _

_"I love you."_

_"Again."_

_He regretfully pulled his head away so he could look her in the eyes. "Winry Rockbell, I swear to you that I am deeply I'm love with you, and that is nothing but the truth."_

_She laughed in pure delight and kissed him again and again, smiling into each one._

_"You know something?" _

_"Hmm?" Ed grunted, holding onto her waist comfortably._

_"You are my own personal brand of salvation. I couldn't love you more."_

_He just laughed.'_

**~XxX~**

His laughter continued to ring in her ears as she took in her surroundings. _'Where am I?'_

Then she glanced down, and noticed the markers. In her daydream she had walked, perhaps ran to the nearby cemetery.

She began walking through the columns and stopped at a pair of simple, matching markers. _'My parents.'_

She continued on and recognized another pair. _'His parents.'_

Her feet went numb as she landed on the last one in the row. Her beloved.

_Here lies_

_Edward Elric_

Just keep walking he always told her. "One leg in front of the other." She quietly whispered. He told her often that if she did that then she would be moving on.

So she did.

She kept walking out of the rows and columns and exited the cemetery, constantly pondering his words. Surely with her legs she could physically walk away and move on.

But that was a lie... Wasn't it?

After all her heart had definitely stayed behind 3 years ago.

She was lying to herself, no matter how truthful her legs seemed as they confidently walked down the sidewalk.

One foot after the other.

**~XxX~**

_Hope you enjoyed!_


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